Camping near Lake Isabella, California

Camping near Lake Isabella at a glance

Public campgrounds

2 (2 National Forest)

Getting a site

1 reservable and 1 first-come

Cost

Lowest posted fee at Auxiliary Dam: "Single Site: $12 per night"

Distance from Lake Isabella

1.7 miles (Auxiliary Dam) to 5 miles (Hobo) in a straight line; 2 within 15 miles

Elevation

2,261 ft (Hobo) to 2,633 ft (Auxiliary Dam), 2 of 2 on record

Campsites

23 across the 1 campground that state a count

RVs

1 take RVs; no hookups on record; longest stated RV length 17 ft (Hobo)

Drinking water

1 of 2

Distances are straight-line miles from Lake Isabella's point in the US Census Bureau Gazetteer (2025), not driving distances. Every other fact comes from each campground's own sourced record, linked from its page.

More campgrounds within 30 miles of Lake Isabella

• Main Dam, 0.4 miles from Lake Isabella in a straight line , National Forest , first-come (Closed for Construction); listed under camping near Kern.
• Pioneer Point, 1 mile from Lake Isabella in a straight line , National Forest , reservable (Single Site: $36 per night); listed under camping near Lake Hughes.
• French Gulch, 1.4 miles from Lake Isabella in a straight line , National Forest , reservable (Standard nonelectric: $420 per night); listed under camping near Kern.
• French Gulch Group Campground, 1.4 miles from Lake Isabella in a straight line , National Forest , first-come (Overnight Use:); listed under camping near Lake Hughes.
• Hungry Gulch, 2.5 miles from Lake Isabella in a straight line , National Forest , reservable (Single Site: $36 per night); listed under camping near Kern.
• Boulder Gulch, 2.6 miles from Lake Isabella in a straight line , National Forest , reservable (Single Site: $36 per night.); listed under camping near Wofford Heights.
• South Fork Rec, 3 miles from Lake Isabella in a straight line , National Forest , first-come (Single Site: $12 per night); listed under camping near Lake Hughes.
• Paradise Cove, 3.4 miles from Lake Isabella in a straight line , National Forest , reservable (Single Site: $36 per night); listed under camping near Mt. Baldy.
• Black Gulch South Group Campground, 4.2 miles from Lake Isabella in a straight line , National Forest , first-come (Site one(50 persons): $229.00); listed under camping near Kern.
• Sandy Flat, 4.4 miles from Lake Isabella in a straight line , National Forest , reservable (Single Site: $36 per night); listed under camping near Lake Hughes.
• Tillie Creek #1 Group Campground, 4.4 miles from Lake Isabella in a straight line , National Forest , first-come (Overnight Use:); listed under camping near Wofford Heights.
• Tillie Creek #3 Group Campground, 4.4 miles from Lake Isabella in a straight line , National Forest , first-come (Overnight Use:); listed under camping near Wofford Heights.
• Tillie Creek #4 Group Campground, 4.4 miles from Lake Isabella in a straight line , National Forest , first-come (Overnight Use:); listed under camping near Wofford Heights.
• Tillie Creek#2 Group Campground, 4.4 miles from Lake Isabella in a straight line , National Forest , first-come (Overnight Use:); listed under camping near Wofford Heights.
• Live Oak Group, 4.6 miles from Lake Isabella in a straight line , National Forest , first-come ; listed under camping near Kern.
• Live Oak South, 4.6 miles from Lake Isabella in a straight line , National Forest , reservable (Single Site: $ per night); listed under camping near Kern.
• Live Oak North, 4.7 miles from Lake Isabella in a straight line , National Forest , first-come (Single Site: $36 per night); listed under camping near Kern.
• Tillie Creek, 4.7 miles from Lake Isabella in a straight line , National Forest , reservable (Single Site: $36 per night); listed under camping near Wofford Heights.
• Camp 9 Group #1, 4.9 miles from Lake Isabella in a straight line , National Forest , first-come (Overnight Use:); listed under camping near Kernville.
• Camp 9 Group #2, 4.9 miles from Lake Isabella in a straight line , National Forest , first-come (Overnight Use:); listed under camping near Kern.
• Camp 9 Recreation Area, 4.9 miles from Lake Isabella in a straight line , National Forest , reservable (Single Site: $36 per night); listed under camping near Kernville.
• Evans Flat, 6 miles from Lake Isabella in a straight line , National Forest , first-come (free); listed under camping near Wofford Heights Bakersfield.
• Cedar Creek, 9.5 miles from Lake Isabella in a straight line , National Forest , first-come (free); listed under camping near Glennville.
• Headquarters, 11 miles from Lake Isabella in a straight line , National Forest , reservable (Single Site: $36 per night); listed under camping near Kernville.
• Halfway Group Campground, 12 miles from Lake Isabella in a straight line , National Forest , reservable ; listed under camping near Tulare.
• Camp 3, 12 miles from Lake Isabella in a straight line , National Forest , first-come (Single Site: $36 per night); listed under camping near Kernville.
• Thunderbird Group Campground, 12 miles from Lake Isabella in a straight line , National Forest , reservable ; listed under camping near Tulare.
• Chico Flat, 13 miles from Lake Isabella in a straight line , National Forest , first-come (free); listed under camping near Kernville.
• Breckenridge, 13 miles from Lake Isabella in a straight line , National Forest , first-come (free); listed under camping near Bakersfield.
• Hospital Flat, 13 miles from Lake Isabella in a straight line , National Forest , reservable (Single Site: $36 per night); listed under camping near Kernville.
• Corral Creek, 15 miles from Lake Isabella in a straight line , National Forest , first-come (free); listed under camping near Kernville Riverkern.
• Goldledge, 16 miles from Lake Isabella in a straight line , National Forest , reservable (Single Site: $36 per night); listed under camping near Kernville.
• White River, 17 miles from Lake Isabella in a straight line , National Forest , first-come (Overnight Use:); listed under camping near Tulare.
• Frog Meadow, 17 miles from Lake Isabella in a straight line , National Forest , first-come (free); listed under camping near Tulare.
• Horse Meadow, 19 miles from Lake Isabella in a straight line , National Forest , first-come (Single Site: $17 per night); listed under camping near Kennedy Meadows.
• Leavis Flat, 20 miles from Lake Isabella in a straight line , National Forest , first-come (free); listed under camping near Tulare.
• Fairview, 20 miles from Lake Isabella in a straight line , National Forest , reservable (Single Site: $36 per night); listed under camping near Kernville.
• Limestone, 23 miles from Lake Isabella in a straight line , National Forest , reservable (Single Site: $36 per night); listed under camping near Kernville.
• Brush Creek, 23 miles from Lake Isabella in a straight line , National Forest , first-come (free); listed under camping near Kernville.
• Long Valley Campground, 23 miles from Lake Isabella in a straight line , BLM ; listed under camping near Tulare.
• Holey Meadow, 23 miles from Lake Isabella in a straight line , National Forest , reservable ; listed under camping near Tulare.
• Holey Meadow Group Campground, 23 miles from Lake Isabella in a straight line , National Forest , first-come (Overnight Use:); listed under camping near Tulare.
• Redwood Meadow, 24 miles from Lake Isabella in a straight line , National Forest , reservable (Overnight Use:); listed under camping near Tulare.
• Long Meadow Group Campground, 24 miles from Lake Isabella in a straight line , National Forest , reservable (Overnight Use:); listed under camping near Tulare.
• Walker Pass Campground, 25 miles from Lake Isabella in a straight line , BLM ; listed under camping near Kern.
• Chimney Creek Campground, 28 miles from Lake Isabella in a straight line , BLM ; listed under camping near Tulare.
• Lower Peppermint, 30 miles from Lake Isabella in a straight line , National Forest , first-come (Single Site: $29 per night); listed under camping near Tulare.

Things to do near Lake Isabella

Public land and water within 30 miles of Lake Isabella, the public land its campgrounds sit in, and landmarks at those campgrounds, nearest first.

• Lake Isabella fishing, a fishing water whose mapped point is 3.8 miles from Lake Isabella; stocking record and species on fishypedia.com.
• Bright Star Wilderness, a wilderness area whose mapped point is 17 miles from Lake Isabella; its permit and camping rules and boundary on publiclandsdb.com.
• Deer Creek fishing, a fishing water whose mapped point is 21 miles from Lake Isabella; stocking record and species on fishypedia.com.
• Kiavah Wilderness, a wilderness area whose mapped point is 21 miles from Lake Isabella; its permit and camping rules and boundary on publiclandsdb.com.
• Dry Meadow Creek fishing, a fishing water whose mapped point is 26 miles from Lake Isabella; stocking record and species on fishypedia.com.
• Ming Lake fishing, a fishing water whose mapped point is 26 miles from Lake Isabella; stocking record and species on fishypedia.com.
• Chimney Peak Wilderness, a wilderness area whose mapped point is 27 miles from Lake Isabella; its permit and camping rules and boundary on publiclandsdb.com.
• Owens Peak Wilderness, a wilderness area whose mapped point is 28 miles from Lake Isabella; its permit and camping rules and boundary on publiclandsdb.com.
• Domeland Wilderness, a wilderness area whose mapped point is 28 miles from Lake Isabella; its permit and camping rules and boundary on publiclandsdb.com.
• César E. Chávez National Monument, a National Park Service unit whose mapped point is 29 miles from Lake Isabella; its entrance fees, current alerts and fire restrictions, and boundary on publiclandsdb.com.

Supplies and emergencies near Lake Isabella

Groceries

• Grocery Outlet supermarket · 0.7 miles · Hours Mo-Su 06:00-22:00
• Dam Korner Store general store · 0.8 miles
• Vons supermarket · 1.4 miles · (760) 379-4461 · Hours Mo-Su 06:00-23:00

Fuel

• Shell fuel station · 0.9 miles
• Shell fuel station · 1.4 miles
• Shell fuel station · 4.4 miles

RV dump station

• Camp 9 campground · 4.6 miles
• Kern River Sequoia RV Resort campground · 9.3 miles · (760) 376-6119

Not mapped in OpenStreetMap within 25 miles of Lake Isabella: propane, potable water fill, pharmacy, laundromat, and ice. Stores, fuel, propane, dump stations, water fill, laundromats, and pharmacies are the nearest few mapped within 25 miles, straight-line, © OpenStreetMap contributors (data as of 2026-10-01; this extract under the ODbL). Hours are as mapped; call ahead.